Love Me, Hate Me
by period
Summary: AU.Because love and hate sometimes don't have boundaries. GaaSaku
1. Chapter One

****

Well this is in Sakura's point of view. With that said, go ahead and read, then review, please!

-

****

My Hate

-

I always thought Uchiha Sasuke was a stuck up cold guy, who thought he was too good for anyone. So I hated him. Whenever I passed by him in the hallways at school, I would completely ignore him, which turned out to be my worst mistake.

You see, he knows how hot he is, and that every girl worshipped the ground he walked on. They would do anything for him, thinking they might have a chance to be his girl. But he doesn't seem to be interested in that; sometimes you'll see him yelling at the girls to go away, but they won't leave him alone.

Anyway, to put it simply, every girl in school who didn't have a boyfriend wanted him. Heck, even girls with boyfriends adored him. Except for me; it seemed I was the only sane person in the world. Which, I guess, is what made the great Uchiha Sasuke wonder who I was. You'd think a girl like me would have a secret crush on a popular guy; but that's not the case. Sure, I wear glasses, and I may seem nerdy at times, but is that any reason to fall for him? I didn't think so.

He didn't want that; he knew he had to do something to make the last girl on Earth who didn't like him fall head-over-heels for him. I'm not going down so easy. Me, falling in love with a jerk like that? Yeah, right.

He's going to have to try hard for that to happen.

Today I'm on my way to school; another boring day. I cross the street and walk inside the corner store, only to bump into a certain someone. Weird how, just a few seconds ago I was thinking about him, and now here he is, holding onto my shoulders so I wouldn't fall back.

"Whoa there," he mutters.

"Oh, sorry." I shake his hands off; he didn't have to hold on to me for so long. He moves to the side to let me through, and I walk to the back of the store, where I find who I was looking for. I feel his eyes follow me the whole way. "Hey Gaara, are you done yet? You know we have school today, right?"

Gaara nods. He was arranging an isle full of cereal boxes. Gaara works here as a part-time job. He wants to save up money so that, soon, he'll be able to move out of his dad's place. I knew perfectly well why he was in a hurry. His dad was such an idiot. We don't hang out at his place anymore; his dad got really annoying the other day, calling me a whore and asking me how many times I've slept with Gaara. That's just wrong; Gaara and I are childhood friends, and his dad knows that.

Gaara was one of the "hottest" guys at school. The girls always talked about him, as much as they talked about Sasuke. They always come up to me, asking "Gaara-kun this", "Gaara-kun that". It gets really annoying. Some even thought I was going out with him, and warned me that if I didn't leave him alone, they'd make me pay. Girls these days are crazy. But Gaara told them to back off, and they don't bother me whenever he's around.

"Hey, can you hand me that box over there?" I give it to him. "Thanks."

I sit down on one of the boxes. I knew he still had a lot to do before we could leave for school.

He sighs. I look at him, wondering what was wrong now. "Dad's being an ass."

"He's always been that way," I explain. Or was there something new that his dad had done?

"I know. But yesterday, he asked me why you haven't come over. I told him it was his damn fault for being such a perv, and what he said made me do something stupid." He places another box on the shelf, his back to me. This meant he didn't want to see how I reacted. Was it that bad?

Gaara doesn't say anything. "Gaara? What did your dad say?"

He stays quiet for a moment, then he says, "He asked me if I got you pregnant. I told him to shut up, that we're not that close, and he stays quiet for a while. I thought he'd finally shut up, but I was wrong. He just sat on the couch, and I was eating in the kitchen, when all of a sudden he decides to ask me 'how much'."

"How much what?"

"How much you charged. He still thinks you sell your body. Started calling you all kinds of shit." He breathes out slowly. "So I punched him."

I stand up quickly. "Gaara, you didn't…"

"I did though. I was already pissed off, he pushed me off the edge. He had it coming."

"You still didn't have to punch him! Gaara, you punch hard, you could've seriously hurt him! What did he do?"

"He fell off the couch. Ran to the bathroom after, cursing me to hell and all that. Haven't seen him since then." He seemed calm, but I knew better.

"You shouldn't have punched him, Gaara. What will you do if he kicks you out?"

He shrugs. "I'll move in with a friend; Shikamaru lives by himself, he said I could move in anytime. Anyway, that doesn't matter right now. Everything fine at your place?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," I was lying of course, and he knew that. Sometimes, having a friend who knew you so much really sucked.

"Seriously, Sakura."

I sigh. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Yes, you do. And you will. Did your mom hit you again?"

Yeah, she hits me. But it's not entirely her fault. My father left when I was only six, and my sister never liked my parents, so she ran away soon after that, leaving only me and my mom. She changed a lot after my father left, always yelling at me, blaming me on every misfortune that fell upon her. She drinks a lot, too. She doesn't make it a habit to hit me; it only happens when one of her new boyfriends leaves her, or when she gets so drunk she starts remembering my father. I think he hurt her, too. Either way, Gaara found out a few weeks after we had met. And instead of just feeling sorry for me, he helped me. Maybe that's why we became such close friends.

I nod. "Her boyfriend broke up with her last night. Well, she didn't really hit me. She just got drunk, told me to go to hell, and started throwing things at me. I don't know why I don't get rid of all those vases. Especially the glass ones…"

Gaara shakes his head and stops to look at me. "Sucks to have parents like ours. But don't worry, as soon as I move out, I'm taking you with me."

"Like my mom would let you. She'd go hysterical if she knew you were going to do that."

"I'll kidnap you, if I have to. You can't keep living with her. Look at you, you're just skin and bones. When was the last time you ate anything?"

"I ate last night, Gaara. I'm not dying of hunger, if that's what you're asking."

"Wait here." He starts walking to the front of the store.

"Hey, where're you going? I thought you had to finish this!"

He comes back with a bowl and a spoon in his hands. "You're going to eat." He hands me the bowl.

I just stare at it. "You're joking, right?"

"Nope. You're going to eat, and we're not leaving for school until you finish." He tears open the top of one of the cereal boxes and pours it into the bowl. He had a small gallon of milk with him, which he pours in afterwards.

"Fine, I'll eat." I grab the spoon he hands me. "I'll need the energy to defend myself against those crazy fan girls of yours," I mutter under my breath.

"Hm…they still bother you?"

"Of course they do. Some of them still think I'm blackmailing you into going out with me. The other ones think I've cast some kind of witch spell on you."

Gaara smirks. "They might be right."

I throw the spoon at him. He catches it before it hits his face and laughs. "I'm kidding. No need to get so mad, Sakura-chan."

"You. Are. So. Mean. Gaara-kun," I say, pronouncing every syllable. But the thing he hated the most was being called "Gaara-kun", just like I hated being called "Sakura-chan".

We glare at each other for a few minutes, until Gaara grabs his backpack and swings it over his shoulder. "Well, I'm bored. Let's go."

I stand up. "Yeah. We'll be late if we don't hurry."

-

When the lunch bell rang, I packed my things and was almost out the door when the one person I don't like appears, again.

"Sorry," I say, for the second time that day.

He smirks. Any girl would fall for that one, but I didn't. "Seems we keep running into each other, Haruno."

I shrug. "I guess so." I move to walk out the door, but he blocks it.

I look at him, trying really hard not to glare. "Yes?"

"I was wondering, Haruno, that maybe you hate me?"

"And why would you think that? I don't even know you."

"Whenever we run into each other, you always seem to be mad at me."

I shake my head. "It's not that I hate you; I just don't like you."

He looks at me, surprised. Before he can say anything, Gaara shoves him out of the way, saying "Excuse me." as he did so. He grabs me by the arm and walks me out, not saying a word until we were at our favorite spot. It was the giant tree in front of the school. Gaara sits down, and yanks me down with him.

"What the hell were you doing?"

"What?" He looked mad for some reason.

"What were you doing, talking to Uchiha?"

"I didn't talk to him, he just came up to me and asked me if I hated him."

"Oh." He takes a deep breath, then lets it out.

"Why? What were you so worried about?"

He shakes his head, his eyes closed. He rests his head on the tree, still not looking at me.

"Gaara," I say sternly. He wasn't going to stay quiet about this; I'm not going to let him.

"Someone told me that he's interested in you."

"What?! Who said that? And anyway, that's stupid. He wouldn't be interested in me, not even if I was the last girl left on Earth!"

"Will you stop saying that? You make it sound like you're ugly."

"But I am ugly."

"That's what you think, Sakura. Other guys don't think the same as you." He says the last part in a lower tone, barely above a whisper.

"That still doesn't mean he'd be interested."

"But it does. He wants you, and it's all because you're the only girl in this entire freakin universe who doesn't like him."

"He wants me because I don't want him? That's just plain dumb."

"As dumb as it sounds, it's true. Damn, I thought he was going to ask you out back there."

"Let him ask me."

He looks at me, with his are-you-high-on-something look.

"I'm not saying that I'll say yes. I'll tell him to go fall in a ditch and stay there."

"You still don't get it. The reason he's after you is because you ignore him. If you tell him to fall in a ditch and die, then he'll try even more to make you fall for him."

"Let's see him try. I don't fall for guys so easily, and you should know that, Gaara."

"Yeah, I know. But still…I can beat him up, if you want." He looks at me, hopeful.

"No! You'll get in so much trouble if you do that. Just leave him alone. If he tries to get with me, then I'll just lie and tell him I already have a boyfriend."

"What if he asks who you're going out with?"

"I'll make up a name. Sheesh, Gaara, calm down. I can take care of myself."

-

After school, I had to walk home by myself. Gaara had to stay after school.

I hate walking home by myself, so I decide to take a shortcut. In between the corner store and the building next to that, there was an alley. I rarely took this path, because it was kind of creepy. It was always dark in there.

I was halfway down the alley when I hear footsteps behind me. I look back quickly, but not fast enough. A hand goes over my mouth, the other slamming me against the stone wall.

I try to get free, but the guy's grip was too tight. He holds up both of my arms with one of his, and starts to yank at my clothes.

"What the hell--let me go!"

But he didn't. just because I was screaming at him didn't mean he would actually do what I told him. Tears started rolling down my cheeks, no matter how hard I tried to keep them in.

The guy already had my shirt half unbuttoned, deciding to stop there and just rip off my bra. He reaches for it, but grunts and falls down hard, on me.

I scream, surprised. But he was unconscious. It took me a second to realize that someone had knocked him out from behind. That someone pushes the guy off of me.

And it does seem like the world is smaller than we think, because in just one day, I had run into this same guy two other times, making this the third.

"You alright?" He offers me his hand, and I take it. Once I'm on my feet, I realize my glasses had fallen off and cracked, so now I couldn't see very well. And to make it worse, my hair tie had snapped, my hair all over my face. I hated my hair like this; it always got in the way.

"Haruno, what were you doing in a place like this?" he asks.

"I should be asking you the same question, Sasuke." I intentionally don't use "-kun" at the end of his name. I'm not fond of him, so why should I have to do that?

"I always take this path home."

"Good thing you came along when you did. So I guess I should be thanking you."

He shrugs. "You don't need to. Any guy wouldn't have let that happen."

"Except for this one," I say, pointing at the guy on the floor.

Sasuke laughs. Wow, he's actually laughing?! I never, in my entire life, thought that he could laugh. You learn something new every day. "True." He walks closer to me and throws his jacket on me. "Now will you cover yourself up? It's kind of distracting."

"Huh? Oh…right." I blush. I couldn't help it; now Sasuke had seen more of me than I would have ever let him see. Gaara will kill me when he finds out…Never mind, he won't kill me, he'll kill Sasuke.

"Come on. I'll walk you home." He says. Walk me home, Sasuke? Weird, the world may be coming to an end. So many things have happened today.

-

We were almost at my house when Sasuke asks me, "Do you still hate me?"

"I already told you; I don't hate you."

"Right. Forgot. Well then, do you still not like me?"

"I guess not. You did save me, after all." We walk up to the corner of my street and I stop. Sasuke looks at me questioningly.

"I thought you lived farther down the street?"

"I do. But if my mom sees me walking with a guy who isn't Gaara, she'll go crazy on me." And that wasn't a lie. But she still got pissed when she saw me with Gaara, so that small part was a lie.

"Oh." He looked like he wanted to ask me something else, and decides to ask. "You and Gaara are pretty close. Are you…his girlfriend?"

I was about to tell him the same thing I tell everyone who asks me that, but then something else pops into my mind. So instead, I say, "I don't know, am I?" And with that, I walk away, not looking back to see his reaction. Before I walk into my house, I look over at where I was, and Sasuke was still standing there.

****

-

**My Apology**

-

The next day after Sasuke walked me home, I'm walking to the corner store, as usual, when I remember Sasuke's jacket. Darn, now I have to go back home to get it.

By the time I walk up to Gaara, who was attending an old lady buying cat food, it was almost time for us to head to school.

I go behind the counter and sit down, watching as he gives her her bag of groceries. Once she's gone, he turns to me with a questioning look on his face. "You're not wearing glasses today, and you're late."

"There's a first time for everything, Gaara."

"Yes, I know. But you being late and not having glasses on is something strange."

"I had to go back and get Sasuke's jacket." I hold it up for Gaara to see. "And my glasses broke, so I'm wearing contacts."

He only stares at Sasuke's jacket. Then he says, "What are you doing with his jacket?"

I sigh. Oh well, I have to tell him about what happened yesterday. I take a deep breath and start, "Yesterday after school I was on my way home, and you know how much I hate to walk by myself, so I went through the small alleyway that's right next to the corner store. Well, it was a really bad idea, because halfway through I almost got rappe-"

He doesn't let me finish. "He tried to rape you?! That little--"

"Gaara, wait. Let me finish, will you? Sasuke didn't do anything to me, he's the one that saved me. He knocked out the other guy, and then let me borrow his jacket because my shirt was all torn up."

Gaara still looked really pissed. Maybe I shouldn't have told him…

"Do you know the guy? The one that did this to you?" he asks through gritted teeth. I could tell he was trying to stay calm, but I knew he wanted to punch something. Preferably, the guy form yesterday.

I shake my head. "No, I didn't recognize him. And Gaara, please calm down. We need to get to school."

He takes a deep breath, but it doesn't seem to help. Grabbing his backpack, he walks out the door and I follow. I stayed quiet for a while, knowing he needed time to calm down. Seriously, once Gaara gets mad, who knows what he can do. Oh right, I do.

As we walked by a stone building, Gaara takes a swing at it, cracking it. His hand didn't bleed though, but it did look a little red.

I look at him again, about to ask if he's okay, when his hand grabs mine. I look at his face, trying to see what he was thinking. "Gaara?"

Finally, he looks at me. "If there's going to be guys throwing themselves at you, especially now that you're not wearing glasses, then shouldn't there be someone to protect you?"

"Protect me? From what?"

"From all those idiots. I knew this would happen."

"Gaara, what in the world are you talking about?"

"Don't you get it? Guys have started noticing you for weeks now, each of them trying to get you for themselves. I knew this would happen as soon as you started…maturing. You seriously haven't noticed how guys stare at you, Sakura?"

I shake my head. This was news to me.

He sighs, and I know it's because of my reaction. "You're still thinking like a little girl. That's why I'm going to pretend to be your boyfriend. At least that way, not so many of those scumbags will try anything; they know who their dealing with."

Great, guys have been checking me out for weeks now, and I never even noticed. "But why does it matter if I have glasses or not?"

"They're looking for a sign from you, one that tells them it's 'okay' to do whatever they want with you. Whenever you talk to someone, you give them your full attention, and your eyes always sparkle when you laugh. Remember in eight grade, when you chipped your glasses, and wore contacts to school? You had, like, six guys who suddenly wanted to be around you the whole time. They didn't leave you alone until I taught them a lesson. And it's going to happen again. Do you want me to get in trouble again?"

"No." I sigh. There wasn't any other way to keep Gaara from beating up half the guys at school, and he would really do it if he had to. "Alright. I'll pretend to be your girlfriend. But don't leave me alone at school, cause if you do, then you'll find me beat up by your crazy fan girls. And I do not want that to happen, kay?"

He only nods. So now we were walking to school, hand in hand, girls checking out Gaara as we passed, disappointed when they saw our hands. I was welcoming my early death; when his fan girls found out, they'll be waiting for a chance to get me alone, where Gaara wouldn't be around. Well, it wouldn't be the first time this happened, that's for sure.

Entering through the main gates of our school, I already felt death glares. Wow, that was fast. Class hadn't even started and I was already public enemy number one. Whatever, there wasn't anything I could do about that, except maybe ask Gaara to teach me to fight. And I do.

He looks at me questioningly for the second time that day. "If I taught you my way of fighting, you wouldn't be a girl anymore, Sakura." He looks around. "Although…maybe then guys wouldn't look at you like they do now."

"I want to learn so I can defend myself. Honestly, I have no idea as to why I never asked you earlier. If I'd known how to fight, freshman year's accident would have never happened."

Gaara winced as if I had punched him, hard. Oops, I said the wrong thing. Sometimes I think my mouth should be sowed up and never opened again. "Sorry," was all he said. Of coarse, I knew what he meant.

My first year in high school wasn't one of my favorites. In fact, it was probably the worst. Gaara was always getting into fights, and he always won. But I knew that wasn't going to last, and it didn't. We were walking home one day after school, when all of a sudden I was thrown against the wall, Gaara yelling my name and telling me to run. He was standing in front of a bunch of guys, I don't really know how many there were. The only thing running through my head at that moment was that he was going to die; and I was going with him.

They were here to get revenge on one of their gang members, the one that Gaara had beat up a few days ago. I didn't know who it was, because there were so many guys who picked fights with Gaara.

The first guy to come forward was sprawled on the floor in less than a second by Gaara. Two more had run up to him, thinking they could get him from either side. But it didn't work; again, he threw them down hard. I was still on the floor, too scared to move. I think he was yelling at me to run away, but I couldn't hear him; I felt dizzy, and my vision was blurring. I think I fainted, because when I awoke, I was lying on Gaara's bed. He was sitting on the floor next to my bed, his head resting next to my arm. I remember sitting up and almost screaming; wait, I think I did scream, because Gaara was up in an instant, asking me what was wrong.

What made me scream was the blood. His t-shirt was covered in it, and his face had cuts and bruises all over it. I couldn't believe it; Gaara had lost, and ended up looking like this. I stood up and pushed him gently onto the bed, telling him he needed it more than I did. My head was hurting, and I felt a bandage on the left side of my forehead. Gaara told me I was thrown too harshly against the wall, and that was what had knocked me out. I think I cried too, when I saw him lying there on the bed, telling me he was sorry, that he had never meant to put me in danger. He said he fought harder than he ever had, because I was there, and he wanted to protect me. I couldn't stand it. I was scared to leave him alone, so I spent the night at his place, saying it was because someone had to take care of him. He accepted, only after I started to cry again. But it got to him, I think, because after that, he tried his best not to get in fights. I think he trained more, too. He looked stronger, and less guys messed with him. I guess that was what he wanted.

But now that he had been reminded of that incident, his face was serious, a sign that he was trying to hide another emotion behind it. He squeezed my hand involuntarily, something that he always did when we were kids. This gesture had a meaning, something only I knew. He really was sorry for what happened. But it didn't help to just say sorry, he wanted to prove it, somehow. I never liked it when he got like this; he was hurting inside, and it made me hurt, too.

"Gaara? I already told you; it's alright. I'm okay, aren't I? It happened a long time ago, so stop worrying about it, please."

He just looks at me, trying to decide something. It was hard to make him change his mind, and now wasn't going to be any different. So he nodded and led me to our classroom, where we just had to bump into Sasuke. Seriously, did the heavens above want Gaara to go insane?

Sasuke smirks his trademark smile. "Good morning, Haruno." He only nods at Gaara.

I reply with the same greeting and feel his eyes leave my face, to look down at our hands. He sure wasn't expecting Gaara and I to be holding hands, because he looked surprised for a moment, then his face regained that same bored expression, and he excused himself.

-

I'm lying on my bed at home, doing my homework, when I get this weird feeling in my stomach, like if something bad was going to happen. Now, I never believed in these things, but right now I wasn't going to just let it go. I stand up and go down the stairs, jumping two at a time. There was only one person who was close to me, the only person who I really cared for, and that was Gaara. I knew something was wrong; don't ask me why, I just knew it.

It was dark out, kinda spooky, but I still run all the way to Gaara's house, almost knocking down the front door. I ask his dad if Gaara was home, not caring that I hated this man, and he says no. Gaara hadn't been home the whole day.

Running back to the corner store, I ask if they'd seen Gaara, but he wasn't scheduled for work today, so no, he was never there. Where else could he be?

I look around, not sure where to look next, when the park just pops into my mind. The park! He might be there.

When I get there, I look around, searching for his red hair, but no luck; he wasn't anywhere visible.

I walk over to a bench and look behind it. Nothing.

I was still breathing hard; I'd never run around town before, not like this. I try the next bench, where bushes concealed most of it. "Gaara!"

He was just lying there, motionless. It was the same as that time, when I saw him all beat up. "Oh no, Gaara…not again." I shake him, trying to wake him up, but he doesn't even stir. So I do the only thing I can think of; I pick him up. Grabbing one of his arms, I place it over my shoulders and lift him up, wrapping my arm around his waist.

It was a good thing I did this at night, because not many people were out, and nobody saw me carry/drag him home. When I got though the front door, I wait, listening. No sign of my mom; good. Carrying him up the stairs was the hardest, but I manage to somehow do it.

Up in my room, I put him on my bed and run to the bathroom to get what I needed. Bandages, cloths, water, and everything else I can think of are now on the floor in front of me.

When I finish cleaning his cuts, I bandage up his stomach, which looked really bad. I was lucky I didn't faint.

I stare at his face. Behind the cuts and bruises, he looked calm, peaceful. Sleeping was the only time I ever saw him like this. He really did look gorgeous when he slept. I pick up another cloth and wipe at his cheek.

Gaara's face furrows, and his eyes open. He looks confused, wondering where he is, but then tries to smile when he sees me. The key word being 'tries'. His cheek wound reopened, blood slowly flowing from it. I wipe at it gently, thankful that he was awake. I feel my eyesight starting to become fuzzy, and I know it's because I was going to cry. I try not to, at least until I can say something, but it doesn't work. A sob escapes my lips, and a single tear rolls down my cheek. I shut my eyes tightly, hiding my face behind my hands. I feel Gaara's hand stroke my hair, reassuring me that he was okay. When I finally calm down enough to speak, I say, "What happened to you, Gaara?"

He looks at me as if trying to decide whether to tell me or not. "You really wanna know?"

I nod.

"A bunch of guys came up to me when I was in the park and told me to leave you alone, that you belonged to someone else. Said their boss wasn't happy that I was with you. I told them they couldn't stop me from seeing anyone, especially not you, and they beat the crap out of me, as you can see. Those guys knew how to fight."

"Their boss? Did they say who that was?"

"Yeah. Uchiha sent those goons after me."

"Sasuke?!" Why would he do that? Was it because I was now Gaara's 'girlfriend'? "So he did that. Gaara, I'm sorry. It's my fault you're like this," I whisper the last part, afraid I might start crying again. "I'm sorry."

But he doesn't look angry like I wanted him to. I wanted him to be mad at me; it was all my fault. "Stop saying you're sorry. I'm the one that provoked them, not you. Besides, they called you 'his property'; you think I was gonna let them do that?" He tries to sit up, but grunts and falls back, wincing in pain.

"Don't move. They must've kicked you pretty hard, because your stomach's all…you know. So stop moving and go to sleep. You're lucky tomorrow's Friday. We can ditch school and stay here, so you can rest."

"You'll ruin your perfect attendance, Sakura. I'll go home, but you have to go to school."

"I don't care. It'll be like I'm not even there anyway; I wouldn't be able to concentrate, knowing you're at home, looking like this. I'm staying with you."

He sighs. "Fine. Hey, what time is it?"

I look at my bedside clock and almost gasp. "It's almost twelve, Gaara! I didn't even notice what time it was until now." I yawn slightly, sleep finally coming to me.

Gaara scoots over on the bed, and I crawl in next to him. He wraps an arm around me and brings me closer to him. I didn't mind; tonight was cold, and he always seemed to be warm. So I wrap my arms around his waist, resting my head just below his head. We always used to sleep like this when we were little, especially when Gaara's dad kicked him out and he would sneak into my room. Tonight felt different though; he was shaking, and he wasn't as warm.

"Gaara? Something wrong?"

I feel his chin barely pass the top of my head as he shakes his head. "No. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. For having you see me like this. Because it reminds you of the other time. I promised I wouldn't let it happen, but it did. And, well…" He sighs. He was trying to find the right words, but it seems like he couldn't. In the end, all he says is, "Sorry."

I hold him closer, cuddling. "Go to sleep, Gaara. Or else I won't sleep."

He sighs again. "Alright. I'll sleep." He tightens his grip on me. "As long as you're here with me, where I know you're alright."

I nod my head a little, already half into dreamland. It was only when I heard his slow breathing as he slept that I realized something: I never finished my homework. Oh well, homework will wait, right now I'm sleepy.

But damn, was Sasuke going to pay for what he did to Gaara.


	2. Chapter Two

****

Thanks for the reviews. ;)

-

My 'Dad'

-

Sasuke had to pay for what he did to Gaara, and I had the perfect idea. We weren't going to hurt him; not physically, anyway.

When I finished explaining my plan to Gaara, all he did was look up at me from his spot on the floor. He was already feeling better from what happened last night, so now I was sitting on the bed. It was Friday morning, barely ten, but the sun was already shining brightly. Strange sun.

Anyway, after thinking it over, for a while, Gaara finally speaks, "So basically you're going to try and _seduce _him?"

"I guess you can call it that. When he least expects it, I'll make him completely humiliate himself in front of everyone. That's the worst for the great Uchiha Sasuke." You'll find out what I'm planning soon, but for now, I'm going to talk it over with Gaara.

Gaara smirks. ""I don't think I've ever seen this side of you, Sakura. Where did innocent little Sakura-chan go?"

"Gaara! When are you gonna stop treating me like a little girl? I'm sixteen! I'm not a child anymore."

He gets up slowly, careful not to hurt himself and sits down next to me. "I know you're sixteen, but you act like a twelve-year-old (no offence to those of you who are twelve). Besides, I'm always going to be older than you by almost a year. I'm already seventeen." He pats my head. "And you'll always be a shorty."

Gaara laughs at the look on my face and falls back on the bed.

"It's not my fault I'm short!" I stick my tongue out at him. "At least I don't have stalkers following me around, like _someone _I know."

"I can't do anything about that. They're girls, so I can't hurt them, Sakura."

"Yeah, I know. Hey, are you hungry?" I stand up and stretch, heading for the door. "I don't think Mom came home last night, so you can come down too." I stop at the door and look back at him. "Do you think you can walk down the stairs though?"

Gaara nods. Standing up, he walks out of my room and down the stairs, almost _running_. I've always wondered how Gaara does it; he always heals quickly, not like most people. I asked him about it once, and all he said was, "I was born this way." Like that helped. It only made me even more confused. But oh well, at least he looked better, so maybe we could even go to the mall. I've been meaning to go buy myself some new clothes for a while. Everything I own is way too small; Gaara told me so the other day.

He was looking through the refrigerator, his head partially hidden by the door. "You don't have anything edible in here." He holds up a jar with something in it, I can't see what it is. "Look at this! What the hell do you think it is?"

"I don't know what it-- Gaara! Don't eat that!"

"I wasn't going to; I was just smelling it." He sniffs it again. "I think it's peanut butter."

"That is _so_ gross, Gaara! Throw it away!" I snatch it away from him and throw it in the trash. "I really need to clean up the whole house."

Gaara sighs. "That's not supposed to be your job. I'll help you then." He retreats to the living room, where he says, "Maybe I should start with all these bottles?" I can hear clanking noises as he picks up the empty beer bottles my mother always leaves on the floor.

I start to wash the dishes, the few that needed washing, anyway. I rarely ever ate here, because we never had food to_ eat_. It wasn't that I didn't have money to buy food, I just decided not to buy stuff anymore.

When my grandmother died, she left all of her money in my name; she knew my mother never bought any of the things that I needed. But my mom's name was put as one of the guardians of the money; I couldn't use any because I wasn't of legal age. But my grandfather soon found out that my mom was taking out large amounts of money and spending it on herself, so he took her name off the list. I was only ten at the time, and my grandpa would send me money every two weeks, enough to buy everything that I needed. Whenever I grew out of my clothes, I'd call him and he'd send more. It was all taken out of my account, of coarse. And now that I'm sixteen, I can take out money by myself. My grandma made sure I would have enough money, and I do; I can even use some for college, if I decide to go.

I really love my grandparents; they were the only ones who didn't turn their back on me when my father left, the only ones who actually cared. My father's side of the family completely despise me, and my mother's family look down on me; they think I'm going to follow in my mother's footsteps, drop out of school, become an alcoholic, and, I guess also the slut part. I couldn't really do anything about what they say, except ignore them, which is what I do.

I was almost done putting away the dishes when Gaara says from the living room, "Should I pick up the glass too?"

"You found more glass? I thought I got it all," I say as I walk to where Gaara was standing. "That wasn't there yesterday. You think my mom was pissed off last night?"

"You said she never came home."

He was right. My mom didn't come home. So why was there glass on the floor? "What if someone broke in?" I check the door. The lock had been picked at. "Someone was in here. But I didn't hear anything last night. Did you?"

Gaara shakes his head. "Must have happened when you went out looking for me." He sits down, thinking. His brow furrowed, and I asked him to tell me what he was thinking. "You left your house in a hurry, right? So you didn't lock the door. doesn't it seem weird that, exactly at the time I was busy fighting off those guys, someone broke into your house?"

"I guess so. But why would they break in? There's nothing valuable in this house, my mom sold it all."

"What if it was Sasuke? Or that guy that 'tried' to rape you? You know, I'm beginning to think Uchiha planned all of this."

I sit down next to him, wondering about all this. It could be true; now that I think about it, when that guy tried to rape me, he wasn't violent. The only thing he did was rip my shirt halfway, and pin me against the wall. If I had stopped to think, I would've noticed that he didn't even touch me anywhere. "Maybe he _is _behind all this. When he supposedly saved me, I was grateful, and I thought he wasn't just some cold stupid jerk. That's what he wanted."

"Rich bastard," was all Gaara says.

"He thinks he can get anything he wants, just because he has the money to get it. Whatever, we're getting back at him anyway. So don't get so mad, okay Gaara?"

"Right, I'll try to remember that when I smash his face in on Monday."

"Gaara, you are _not _going to do that. Or I promise I'll…" I try to think of something that I could use against him. And I came up with one. "I'll never speak to you again. You'll have to find your own friends to hang out with." I know I'm being mean, but it's for his own good. He can't keep getting in trouble, especially not at this school. He'll get expelled. And beating up a rich guy isn't such a smart idea; he could sew Gaara, or worse, he could send those guys after him again. What if the next time this happens, Gaara dies? I would _never _let that happen.

Gaara frowns, and I know he doesn't want what I just said. I wouldn't either. I know it sounds stupid to say this, but I really believe that Gaara is my other half. We do everything together, and he understands me. What would I ever do without him?

"Alright, I won't. But that's a cruel way to stop me. I can't live without you, Sakura, and you know that."

"I know. But the way you say it, you make it sound like you're in love with me, Gaara."

Gaara shrugs, but doesn't say anything. Wasn't he going to say no, that that would only happen in my dreams? That's what Gaara would do; he'd make fun of me for saying that. But he isn't. "Is something wrong, Gaara?"

"No. Why?"

I sigh. "Never mind." Standing up, I lean down to look at Gaara. "You wanna go out to eat? I'll finish cleaning up later."

"Sure."

-

Downtown was where all the good food could be found. We rarely came down here though; guys _always _wanted to mess with Gaara.

After lunch, we went to my favorite store; I _did _say I wanted to go shopping, didn't I?

"I'm going to try these on. Tell me what you think, kay?"

When I come out of the dressing room, I pose for Gaara. "What do you think? It's cute, isn't it?" I was wearing my own gray-and-white stripped shirt over a black skirt that had two belts running across one side down, a small chain hanging from one of the pockets.

"Is that really a skirt?"

"Yes, Gaara, it's a skirt. What, you think it's ugly?"

"No, it just looks too _short_."

I sigh. "Gaara, you're like an old lady; this isn't short. Look," I put my hands down. "See? My hands barely even pass it. The middle school uniforms are even shorter."

"Alright, if you like it, get it."

"You know what you remind me of? A father; a normal, overprotective father. You're always watching out for what I wear."

"There's no one else that'll do it."

"True. Hey, 'dad'? Can I try on something else now?"

"Go ahead." I was still changing into something else when he says, "You're going to keep calling me 'dad', aren't you."

"Yup."

Gaara sighs. "I knew it…"

I just laugh. "'Coarse you do. There's nothing I can hide from you, Gaara. Even if I didn't tell you something, you'd still find out sooner or later. Maybe even more than I do."

-

Finally, it came to be Sunday night. Gaara was spending another night at my house. "Gaara, get over here! You don't have to clean that." I was standing by the stairs, waiting for Gaara. When he finally shows up, I start walking up the stairs. "Sheesh, Gaara. I told you not to clean up."

He shrugs. "Nothing you can do now; I already did it."

Inside my room, I throw myself on my bed, scooting over a little so Gaara could sit down.

"School tomorrow…"

He sits down. He starts rolling a piece of my hair around his finger, thinking. "So you're really going through with it?"

I nod. My eyes were closed, and I was already falling asleep. "Gaara, it's the only thing I can do."

Gaara lies down next to me, holding me close like he always did. "Alright. Just be careful," he whispers into my hair.

"I will, dad."

****

-

****

My First

-

Gaara didn't have to work this morning, so we got to school early today. Thankfully the bruises and cuts on his face aren't as noticeable as before.

Sure, it won't be the first time they see him like this at school , but still; we'd have fan girls swarming around us, crying and asking him if he was okay, sending death glares in my direction.

I hear Gaara sigh. "If they bother us again, I _swear _I'm going to lose it."

"Should I get ready to run away from you?"

"Very funny, Sakura."

"I w--"

"Sakura!"

I turn around to see who'd called my name. A smile spreads across my face when I realize who it was. Ino and Hinata rush over and hug me, while the others hang back, nodding at Gaara. After pulling away from them, I say, "But I thought you guys wouldn't be back for a few more weeks. The trip was supposed to be longer, wasn't it?"

Hinata nods. "It was, but Father grew bored, and we all came back sooner."

Ino frowns. "And we were having so much fun too…although it would've been better if you guys had gone with us!"

"We wouldn't be able to go, even if we wanted to, Ino." Hinata and Neji had gone on vacation somewhere far away, I forgot where, it had a funny name. But anyway, they'd invited Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru, Gaara and me, but only Naruto and Ino actually went. Shika didn't want to go, 'too troublesome'. Gaara and I couldn't, for obvious reasons.

Ino, Neji, Hinata and Naruto leave, after saying they had to go check in with the principal.

We hadn't seen Shika for weeks now; he had classes in the more remote school buildings, and he'd changed his lunch hour to fit his schedule. But now that he was here, I feel a long-lost feeling wash over me, and I hug him. Shika's my second closest friend; we sort-of grew up together. Meaning he'd get me out of trouble when we were younger. I was always doing something stupid, maybe because my brain didn't want to think about _anything _at all, and Shika always showed up to help me.

It was strange at first though; he'd always show up whenever I was in trouble, then leave as soon as he was sure I was okay. Slowly we started hanging out together, playing like little kids should, although he slept most of the time. But when his parents found out, they disapproved of our friendship, and I didn't see him after that. They were 'too high-class' to be hanging out with someone like me.

That's when Gaara showed up, and filled in for Shikamaru. I got to see Shika after a few years; we went to the same middle school. I think he felt bad for leaving me alone for so long, because he started hanging out with us more often, rarely ever leaving my side. It went on for a while, but when we started high school, his parents enrolled him in completely different classes, so we started seeing less and less of each other.

I guess it's like I've been taken care of all my life by Gaara and Shika. So I really love them both; if it wasn't for them, I'm sure I wouldn't even be here right now. Although sometimes they get _a little _over-protective.

"Hey, Shikamaru, you think I can stay at your place for a while? I'll help pay the rent."

Shika turns to look at Gaara. "Sure. You have your stuff with you?"

He shakes his head. "It's at Sakura's house. I'll bring it over today after school."

Shika nods and turns back to look me up and down. "You're skinnier than the last time I saw you."

I roll my eyes at him. "You two are _exactly _the same. I haven't lost a single _ounce_. I think

I even gained a little since we last saw you!"

It was their turn to look at me funny. "You need to eat more."

"I'm eating perfectly fine. Thank you for your concern, Nara Shikamaru." I turn to Gaara. "And I am _not _dying of hunger." He closes his mouth, the words he'd been about to say explained by me. It sometimes seemed unfair, how they both joined together in the same idea, while I was left defenseless. I mean, I know they really care, but still…

"You're going to eat more."

I sigh. "So not fair…"

-

****

Same Day

The weather was getting hotter every day, and today it seemed to reach the highest we've ever felt it. Most of the guys took off the school uniform shirt, leaving their undershirt on. The girls unbuttoned theirs, or rolled it up until it looked like they were wearing bathing suits; the guys didn't seem to mind.

I rolled up mine a little and tied it, but it didn't seem to help. It was just too hot; the air conditioner had broken down a few days ago, and they were trying to fix it, so the classrooms were like being in an oven. Nobody felt like learning, and the teachers didn't even bother teaching us anything. Everyone was just sitting around, talking and laughing.

The perfect opportunity to start with Sasuke.

A bunch of girls crowded around him, squealing and asking him questions, while he only stared out the window. The girls would lift their shirts up higher, trying to get his attention, but Sasuke didn't even so much as glance in their direction. Sometimes it makes me wonder if Sasuke isn't into girls, rather liking…_guys_.

I tie my shirt up higher, put my hair down, and smile. God, I hated doing this. Unbuttoning another button on my shirt won't hurt anyone. "Sasuke-kun?"

"What--?" he stops suddenly, just staring at me. Ew, if he was going to look me up and down, he could _at least _try to hide it. Such an obvious idiot. After what feels like forever, he finally looks at me again and says, "Haruno?"

I giggle. _Really _hated doing this. "Ne, Sasuke-kun, call me Sakura." I sit down on his desk, crossing one leg over the other. Sasuke's eyes drift down, staring at them. Stupid short skirt, at least it's doing it's job. "I wanted to talk to you, Sasuke-kun." I glance up at him, then look down again. "Alone."

He stands up quickly, grabbing my hand and leading me out the door before his fan girls knew what was going on. This was going to be too easy.

-

When the bell rang to signal lunch time, everyone rushed outside. Sitting under the trees wasn't that much help, but it was less hot under them. I wasn't even halfway to the door before I saw Gaara walk in.

"Gaara, how do you always get here so quickly?" He had first and second period in another building, on the other side of the school. Yet he always got here in time to pick me up.

He shrugs, looking out the window. Something's wrong. "Gaara?"

Still not looking at me, he only says, "Hm?"

"Is something bothering you?"

He shrugs again.

"Gaara."

"What?"

"Stop being such a jerk and tell me what's wrong." Honestly, my patience was running low.

Again, Gaara doesn't say anything, still looking out the window.

"Fine…" I whisper, turning to walk out the door. If he doesn't want to tell me what's bothering him, then how am I supposed to help him? Maybe he'll tell Shika; I should go find him. Before I can take another step, he grabs my arm and turns me around to look at him.

"Don't go after Uchiha anymore." He was looking at the floor, his hair falling over his eyes.

"What? But I thought you wanted to get back at him."

"I do. But not like this."

"It's the only thing I can do, Gaara."

He shakes his head, not saying anything. He was still not looking at me. "There has to be another way."

"Unless you can think of one, I'm not going to stop."

Gaara's hold on my arm tightens. "I don't want you doing this."

"I'm not doing anything wrong. Besides, you can't tell me what to do, Gaara. You're my friend, not my father."

"I'm your boyfriend."

"That's only to make people _think_ I'm going out with you. Gaara, you said so yourself. And anyway, even if they believe that I _am _your girlfriend, you're still like an older brother."

Gaara looks up at me quickly. His face looked hurt, but it disappeared and was replaced by an angry frown. "I don't want that."

Something is really wrong here. Gaara's not acting like himself, but what can it be? I mean, maybe it's because of what I'm doing, but there's something else. Something he's not telling me. "Then what _do _you want?"

He doesn't say anything, only staring at me. He takes a step toward me, and before I can say anything, he pulls me close and I feel something warm crash down on my lips.

-

****

My Worst

-

"See you later, Sakura-chan!"

I smile and watch as Naruto and Hinata make their way towards fifth period, before I lose sight of them in the crowd of students. Lunch had been weird. It was the first time I hadn't spent it with Gaara.

Sighing, I turn around. After…_kissing _me, Gaara stepped back, mumbled a quick 'sorry', and he was out the door before I could even ask why he'd done that. When I went to catch up with everyone else, he wasn't there. Shikamaru noticed that something was on my mind, and asked me about it, but it's not like I can tell him. I'm sure Gaara wouldn't have wanted that.

"Oi, Haruno."

I turn around and come face to face with a bunch of girls from my second period class, all looking at me with a pissed off expression. What did I do _now_? Jeez… "What?"

"Come with us for a sec. We'd like to have a talk with you."

-

"What _the hell _do you think you're doing with Gaara-kun?!"

"Excuse me?" My back to the wall, I stare at her incredulously. Why were they all acting so…weird? It's not like I'd done anything to make them mad…had I? Well, it _has _been a while since I last had to deal with a bunch of crazy fan girls. I was wondering why they hadn't done anything about Gaara and I becoming a 'couple'.

"Don't act innocent, you bitch, we saw when you kissed him!" Another girl I have never even _seen _before steps forward, yelling so loud it actually made me wince.

Did they see what happened back in the classroom with Gaara? Damn, this doesn't look good; there were _at the least _five girls standing around me, and if I try to move, they'll get in the way. Why did I always end up in these situations? I know for sure that they want to beat the crap out of me…

"We've already warned you before, so we'll say it again: Leave Gaara-kun alone or else!"

"Hey, we already warned her before, why not just beat her up? It's her own fault, anyway, and I doubt anyone's going to come looking for her behind the gym! Come on, Akari, let's do it!"

Akari, the girl standing in front of me, smirks.

Well, this didn't look good.

-

I'd lost track of how many slaps and punches I'd received already, or whom each hand belonged to. All I knew at the moment, was that if I didn't get away soon, things would get _way _out of hand.

I couldn't even defend myself; both my arms were being held behind me by two girls. My head was pounding; all I could hear was _bambambam_, my heart in my ears, beating wildly because I couldn't do anything to defend myself. But seriously, did they really have to hold me like this and hit me like they did in manga? I mean, next thing you know, they'll take out scissors and--

"…should cut her hair, don't you think so, girls?" Akari (or I thought it was her, I couldn't really see anyone, my eyes seemed to make everything fuzzy) was holding a pair of scissors in one hand, the other holding my face up. _Why _did they have to copy the bad girls in manga? And why the hell did I even think about it? I just jinxed myself even worse…

Akari giggled like crazy before grabbing at my hair roughly, and (my eyes slowly focusing on the dirty ground below me) I could see strands of my own hair falling into my line of vision.

"Sakura?"

Everything seemed to stop at that moment, and I wondered why they'd stopped hurting me, or why I suddenly felt my body fall uselessly to the ground, where I lay for a few seconds before I felt myself being lifted up again.

I open my mouth to speak, but feel myself coughing instead, and I could vaguely hear someone curse out loud, and as my mind processed the fact that my head was being supported by someone's hand, and that my body was in a sitting position, I try to speak again, "Sh-Shika?" although it sounded more like I'd just eaten a bunch of rocks and tried to speak while chewing.

I hear him curse again, and this time I could make out his face, and the sun right beside his head, the _stupid_ blinding sun. "Shit, Sakura, what did they _do _to you--how--" he sighs. "Come on, I'm taking you home. I'll call Gaara."

"No! Shika, you can't tell him. He'll be _so _pissed; I don't want him to find out, okay?"

His forehead creased, and I could tell he was going to say no, so I say, "Shika, _please_. If you say _anything _to him, he'll most likely hurt them; he won't care that they're girls. So, promise."

He still looks doubtful, but nods anyway. "Alright, let's go home."

-

By the time I woke up, the sun had fallen low enough to filter through the window. Actually, the sun was the one that had woken me up, landing directly in my face. The first thing I saw was a light-blue ceiling, which was strange. My room was completely white; why had it changed all of a sudden? And why did my whole body hurt _so bad_?

"You're awake."

__

Oh…

Now I remember. "You aren't called a genius for nothing, are you, Einstein?" I try to laugh, at least to lighten up the mood, but it comes out choked. Even my throat hurt. Shika tries to smirk, but it doesn't come out fully, instead turning into a frown.

I sigh. Oh well, at least I tried. "Gaara doesn't know, does he?"

He only shakes his head.

"Good. Ow…Lend me a hand, will you, Shika? My whole body hurts _like hell_."

After helping me into a sitting position, he goes into the living room and comes back with a pair of scissors. "To even out your hair."

My hand moves automatically over my hair, and I sigh inwardly. They'd cut my hair so short…now it barely even grazed my shoulders.

It didn't take him long to even out my hair. He was almost done when I realized that I wasn't wearing my school uniform; I had on an over-sized t-shirt that could only belong to Shika. "You bandaged me up, Shika?"

"Who else?"

"…sarcastic, aren't we." I smile. "You didn't take advantage of me while I was unconscious, did you, Shika?"

His hands drop to his sides, and I turn around slightly to see him frown, an un-Shikamaru blush starting to form on his face. I couldn't help but laugh (it still hurt my throat though). "I'm just kidding Shika. I know you're not _that _desperate." I laugh again.

Shika was almost at the door when I say, "Arigatou, Shika. You're the best."

He sighs. "Troublesome…" But instead of going outside like I thought he would, he turns around and stands in front of where I was sitting on the bed, leaning down to look me in the eye. "You're _really _bad at hiding your emotions, Sakura."

I didn't really understand what he meant, until I felt something wet on my face, and realized (much to my horror) that I was crying. I try wiping them away, which turned out to only make it worse. Now my eyes were on full-power mode, and all I could do was hug Shika, because Gaara wasn't here, so Shika was the one that cared about me the most at the moment (and I _hate _it when people see me cry). He hugs me back, holding me while I ruined his shirt, and even as I thought this, I knew he didn't care about his shirt. And even if he'd deny it once I was back to normal, I knew he cared about me. Because that's what friends are for.

"Sorry, Shika. I…I just can't stop c-crying. Ungh, it's just…sorry…"

"Oi, what kind of friend would I be if I pretended not to notice that you wanted to cry? Everyone needs comfort sometimes, Sakura. We can't live without having someone there to tell our problems to. Imagine what would happen if you kept every bad thing to yourself? You'd only be making both me and Gaara worried, and then we'd both be pissed off at ourselves for not doing anything. We're nakama, aren't we, Sakura?"

I smile, finally able to wipe away the tears from my eyes without having fresh ones replace them. "Yeah…"

-

The next time I woke up, it was because of loud banging noise. I was still lying on Shika's bed, the room completely dark.

When my eyes got used to the darkness, I strained my ears to hear what that noise was. This time, I was able to recognize the noise: someone was knocking on the door. Next thing I know, Shika is yelling something and loud footsteps lead to the door, where I barely had enough time to hide under the covers before the door was literally thrown open, banging against the wall.

"Jeez, Gaara, calm _down_. Do you _want _her to wake up?"

Gaara. I'd almost forgotten about him…did Shika tell him what happened to me? By the sound of his breathing, I could tell he'd run all the way over here, so something must have gotten him pissed off.

"What happened to her?"

One of them moves, and I could feel someone staring down at where I was ducking under the covers. That must be Gaara.

My guess is confirmed because I hear Shika speak from the doorway. "What're you talking about? She just got tired at school. You should've seen her; she couldn't even keep her eyes open, so I told her she could just come over and sleep."

"Why didn't she go back to _her _house?"

"My place was closer than hers."

Good, so Shika hadn't told Gaara anything. It kinda made me feel guilty though, hiding something like this from Gaara. He must have been worried when he went to pick me up after sixth period, to realize that I hadn't even gone to class…

It was quiet for a while, and I was hoping that they'd leave the room, when Gaara speaks up, "If she was just tired, then why the hell are her clothes on the floor?"

Oh crap.

"That…she wanted to change out of her clothes; don't ask me why, I'm not a girl. I don't know what she's thinking."

Hopefully, he'll believe it. Before I know what's going on, I feel the blanket being pulled down, my face exposed to Gaara. It was a good thing I'd kept my eyes closed. But wait, he'll notice my--

"And what the hell happened to her hair?"

"She wanted a new haircut."

"Nara, stop fucking around and tell me what happened."

Gaara was _really _mad now. He never called Shika by his first name, unless he was _really _pissed off. Today was turning out to be the worst day in my life so far. What else could go wrong?

"And I still wonder why I have such violent friends…" Shika sighs.

"Nara, I know she would _never _cut her hair just because she 'wanted a new haircut'. She loves her hair when it's long, and what? Do you think I'm fuckin' _blind_? Her face has cuts and bruises all over it! I want to know what's going on, so cut the crap and _tell me what the fuck happened!_"

No…please don't tell him, _please_--

"She got beat up by a bunch of your fan girls."

Yup, today was _the worst_ day of my life.

-

Shika made Gaara stay here to sleep, and they left the room to talk in the kitchen. Now that I was alone again, staring at the ceiling, I could feel fresh tears threatening to fall, and I quickly throw my arm over my face to try and muffle out my sobs. I didn't want either of them to hear. I mean, just imagining the hurt look Gaara would have because I didn't tell him what happened, and the sorry I was sure to receive from Shika for telling Gaara, it just made me feel so _sad_…

…because I'm always doing something to make them worry. When am I going to do something for _them_?

-

"Mm…wha--Gaara? Is that you?"

"…yeah."

After crying myself to sleep, I wake up again, the room still dark. Except, now Gaara was sitting on a chair next to the bed, just looking at me. How long had he been here? Probably since I fell asleep… "What are you--" He doesn't let me finish. Taking me by surprise, he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me towards his chest, burying his face in my neck.

"…sorry." _This _is why I also didn't want to see them again tonight. Because I _knew _it'd be like this. It seemed like he was saying sorry a lot more than usual. "I'm sorry, for not--"

"Gaara, it's fine. I knew this would happen. I _expected _it to happen, so…don't apologize anymore. It makes me feel sad."

"Okay, sorr--I mean…I'm glad you're alright."

Pulling away from him so I could look at his face, I frown. Even in the dark, I could still see that look that Gaara always had when he was inwardly hating himself. I put my hand on his cheek, wondering when he'd grown so big that my hand didn't even cover all of it.

"Gaara…you really are a dummy."

Something between a cough and a laugh escaped his throat, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Thanks, Sakura, I love you too."

-

And, no matter what, we'd get through this…together. Because I would do _anything _for Gaara; and I know he'd do the same for me.

-

****

Review?


End file.
